The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-04-27

lows, the very willows under which Shirley
had sat while the master read TO her the mar
velous story OF Joan Of Arc.
Even so the iron had cut through the heart
of shirley's romance Even so, God help usi
the iron rieroes the soul Of Us all, every oneL
And one fine morning Shirley walked and
remembered she was 50 years old
The brothers and sisters were nearly all
men and women now Alice the youngest,
was IA Harry was L. These two were
especially near to shirley They had hung
about her neck in their helpless babyhood
Fatherless, worse than motherless, they had
only this tall, strong sister 10 cling 20.
During these years so many minor Incl
dents had happened in the Carstone family
that It has not been possible TO keep up with
them all 1t was well Shirley's worldly
prospects had frightened As the children
grew Older tbe need Of money 20 educate
them. 10 start them in life. increased CON
stantly. Shirley worked and planned with
out eeasing to meet the demand II gave her
steady pride and pleasure that she was able
TO do 50.
The children followed each his natural
bent, no two Of them alike. Percy. who had
been 50 fond Of studying the ways Of birds
ard insects developed into naturalist. He
was a slender handsome youth, devoted to
his studies with enthusiasm
Pet otherwise Master Francis Peyton, sur
prised the family by saying deliberately one
day:
shirley, l want to go to West Point l
have made up my mind to IL
His mother looked az him in anlazement.
Great gunst Pet, +" said Percy, you're fool
in, You mind when you used 10 hold YOUR
hands over your ears and run and hide your
head in the pillows when father was teaching
H.. 4.
the army, somebody might fire of a shooting
cracker close to your ear GA a Fourth of July
-whatd You do them
1--we made up nay mind want TO go to
West Point was all the answer Pet made.
Shirley was the magician who did every
thing FOR everybody Ia the Carstone family
Her brother got his wish. Children develop
in unexpected ways, sometimes Pet, the
timid, the delicate girl boy Of the Carstones,
became thesoldier. \ gallant soldier be made.
toe. Strangely enough, he was daring TO
recklessness. or all the four sons be was the
one who in manhood most resembled their
brave dashing father.
With Tom and Brownie Shirley had most
trouble. Brownie was a dancing, springing,
merry little cricket Of q creature, as fun Of
life as a squirrel, as nisehievous, too. Sho
was very pretty girl with laughing brown
tinted skin, nose family -dp-tilted, and lips
like q scarlet cherry She was much admired
and sought after
Given her own way in all things, aud Miss
Brownie at IS was the most charming young
lady in the world But given not her own
way. she could make the household hum to a
degree beyond the supposed capacity of
gentle young ladydom.
There was inborn in poor Brownie pas
sionate foudness for things beautiful and ar
tistic Had her father lived her tastes would
have been gradfed, and Brownie would have
been happy. As it was, she chafed with bit
ter impatience against the Carstone poverty.
She longed to wear bright jewels and pretty
dresses, 70 get away from Linwood, the mean
and the narrow. And being not Of tho
heroic turn, She only stayed thore and fretted,
instead Of trying to work out her wishes for
herself
As Linwood became larger, and wealthy
visitors and residents were attracted thither,
and Brownie mingled with them, the desire
TO see the gay world grew on her till she was
not an agreeable young lady TO live with.
Her constant song, daily and nightly, was;
Il wish we could have things like other
people"
Her brother Tom made acquaintance that
were not good for him. In those soft, green
years this was the besetting sin of the honest,
blundering fellow He was perpetually get
ting into scrapes, and Shirley was perpetually
helping him out. When Tom was -, old
enough 10 have some sense, there came TO
Linwood a man of the musical name of
Wabbnobhs He had a mean little face and
dressed expensivcly. lie had money and
spent il lavishly.
Wabbnobbs had been at the hotel some
days when one afternoon there passed by
Tom CarstOne with his beautiful sisters.
From that day the stranger sought the ac-
quaintance of Tom He cultivated him as
siduously
He called at the stone house 20 take Tom
riding. He displayed flashing diamonds fast
horses and elaborate toilets. He talked horse
so learnedly that tho innocent youth looked
up TO him as to a demgod
Mr. Wabbnobbs talked vaguely but mag
nificently of the west and western mines, till
Tom too began to sigh to have things like
other people He was dazzled with the gor-
geousness of his new friend. He was afame
with a fever to go west and make his fortune
in the mines The acquaintance progressed
rapidly to intimacy, till one day Harry said:
Hes a beauty, no mistake, that new beau
of yours, isn't he, Browniet'
'Who Is it nows' asked Shirley.
Don't you know. It's that new fellow that
Tom goes bumming and cumming with.
| That Mr.. Wabbnobbs.'